Rainwater and snowmelt microretention program - Krakow

@Biuro Stowarzyszenia Metropolia Krakowska

The Krakow rainwater and snowmelt microretention program in Poland, which has been running since 2014, aims to promote rainwater retention and use in the city. Grants are provided for investments involving the construction of facilities to retain and use rainwater within the city. Various solutions are introduced such as underground tanks for rainwater and snowmelt, above-ground tanks for rainwater collected from the roof together with an installation for connecting to the gutter, rain gardens, absorption troughs or ponds. The subsidy also covers the implementation of a landscape irrigation system and a drainage system. The amount of the grant depends on the type of investment and can be up to 80% of the incurred costs. Grants are provided by the City of Kraków. The subsidy may be applied for by individual inhabitants, housing communities, legal persons, entrepreneurs and units of the public finance sector that are municipal or district legal persons. The action is in line with the Strategy of the City of Krakow until 2030 - objective 4.3 Sustainable environment.

Overview

Type of instrument:

Economic and fiscal instruments›Payments as rewards/for ecosystem services, subsidies, incentives

Challenges addressed

Water management (e.g. reuse)
Drought and fire risk

Consideration of nature-based solutions:

Overall, the subsidy aims to promote rainwater retention and use in the city Support for various nature-based solutions is foreseen, including: underground tanks for rainwater; aboveground tanks with a minimum capacity of 200 l with connection to drain pipes; rain gardens; bioretention systems; rainwater and snowmelt drainage systems; irrigation systems for green areas including gardens, etc.

Targeted (peri-)urban areas:

Green areas for water management

Good practice characteristics:

Effective

Locally appropriate

Potential to be replicated / upscaled

Governance

Government body/bodies

Initiating body:

City of Kraków

Instrument design:

Instrument implementation:

Type of involvement:

The subsidy covers support for the following groups who implement nature-based solutions to improve rainwater retention: individuals; entrepreneurs; housing communities; legal entities; and local government units.

Type of non-governmental actors involved:

Implementation of NBS (e.g. with government funds)

Targeted actors:

Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)

Private: household, real estate developer, business , financial

Citizens or community groups (CBOs), NGOs

Financing

Sources of funding:

Public local authority’s budget

Budget:

1 000 000€ - 5 000 000€

Details about instrument financing:

The program has been running since 2014. Between 2014 and 2020, 841 installations for rainwater collection and utilization worth nearly 1,24 mln EUR were constructed as part of Krakow's microretention. The amount of funding allocated for the program is determined annually by the Krakow City Council in a budget resolution. In 2021, 547 176 EUR was allocated for subsidies, in 20222 - 1,05 million EUR.

Monitoring, evaluation and impacts

Achieved outcomes and impacts:

Between 2014 and 2020, 841 installations for rainwater collection and utilization were subsidized. The impacts of these measures include: reducing water consumption by using it to water lawns, garden plants, and thus reducing water charges, enabling water disposal in the absence of a sewage system, and protecting groundwater resources.

Success factors and lessons learned:

Krakow's small rainwater retention program is one of the first of its kind in Polish cities. It has been in operation for 7 years and is planned to be maintained until 2022. The long period of the programme's functioning makes its results very measurable. An equally important effect alongside the water retention measures is increasing the inhabitants' awareness concerning the necessity of proper rainwater management. The program is attracting a lot of interest. A big plus is that the program is aimed not only at individual residents, but also cooperatives or entrepreneurs.

Sources and further information

References

List of references:

https://www.bip.krakow.pl/?dok_id=150164&_ga=2.66632106.509247271.1652345383-551048011.1650543498

https://klimada2.ios.gov.pl/zagospodar-wody/krakowska-mikroretencja-wod-opadowych-i-roztopowych/

https://www.krakow.pl/aktualnosci/257954,1926,komunikat,mikroretencja_wod_opadowych_i_roztopowych__zloz_wniosek.html

Interview(s):

Krakow Metropolis Association

Photos

@Biuro Stowarzyszenia Metropolia Krakowska